Brief Summary: When the Smoke Clears is the story of three childhood friends, and the year that will dramatically change their lives. The story opens with a flashback to the first time the three try drugs, and then zooms forward to them in their current setting as roommates. Chris is trying to finish getting his degree from a local community college, Shawn works at a local movie theater that he is scamming from, and Raymond is trying to make a move to be a major player in the local drug trade. The story follows each one down their separate paths, Chris struggles to stay sane in current surroundings, Shawn becomes more and more of a drug addict, and Raymond becomes more ruthless as he loses ties to family. The film is a drama based on the events that change people's lives and make them ultimately stronger or weaker.